Hunters
by flawedesires
Summary: Years after the mess with Percy's disappearance, Thalia is still a proud Hunter. But, as it's happened countless times, trouble's found Thalia again. She runs into the Hunters of Diana with a new catastrophe, & it turns out, this one might not be as easy.
1. Crossing Paths

**Hi, guys. My name is Mia Cortez (not really, but you know, never wanna use your real name on the internet), author of this little story. This idea came up just today when I was reading a story about Annabeth trying to find Percy. Really too much of those for my taste, but you know. Just surfing FF. Anyway, I actually did a face-palm because I couldn't believe I didn't think of this earlier.**

**So, read this, tell me what you think, and let me know if you want more. Thanks!**

* * *

**1/Crossing Paths**

She normally wouldn't care about this.

The fog, creeping through the trees, the cold, seeping into her clothes, the eerie silence, settling over the Muir Woods Forest, San Francisco, California.

Normally, she wouldn't be here. She knew it was dangerous. Too dangerous. The others tried to stop her. They didn't want to tread into enemy territory.

Normally, she would've listened. But, as she tightened her grip on her bow, she knew she had to be here. A direct, hushed, order she couldn't—wouldn't—deny.

And, normally, as she'd known for years, nothing about Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, was normal.

"Thalia."

A frown rippled across her face at the hushed whisper; hunting was a task without conversation. She jumped from the tree silently, reaching out with one hand to grab a branch and swing onto another swiftly, landing soundlessly next to the younger girl. "What?" Her voice was barely above a murmur.

The girl, Bethany, bit her lip worriedly. "Have you seen Carmen?"

That thought simply floated around in Thalia's mind for a second before registering. "Carmen?" Yes, where _was_ Carmen? "I thought she was with Alexa."

Bethany shook her head. "Alexa left her with Callie."

"Where's Callie now?" The familiar sense of urgency and authority settled in Thalia's chest as she spoke. She was responsible for each and every girl in her command. None were much older than her; Carmen, the missing girl, was only a month or two younger than Thalia.

"Here," Callie's voice murmured from a tree to their left. The girl looked troubled. "Thalia, I'm sorry. Carmen, she was right behind me. I don't know—" She cut herself off with a sharp intake of breath as Thalia's hand came up.

Thalia's electric blue eyes darted from left to right warily. She held a finger to her lips momentarily, then dropped into the foggy darkness. The air whooshed past her for a short few seconds, and her feet made a soft thudding noise as she hit the ground. She grimaced. She hated heights.

The others took her actions to mean: _Be quiet. Be careful. Someone's here._ She didn't know how right she was.

She wasn't as smart as the witty Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, but she wasn't as dumb as the brave Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, either. Everything was adding up in her mind at lightning speeds.

The unusual state of environment, Carmen's disappearance, their location, she started to realize what was going on. A leaf crunched. The sound was barely a flutter, lasted only a second, a fatal mistake on the part of the unknown other party, but Thalia heard it.

She froze mid-step, then quickly pressed her back to a tree, pulling a long silver arrow from the quiver at her back and silently notching it with the silky bowstring in her hands.

A whisper of shadows flashed by her left, but she knew they were her own. She folded her hands over her mouth and blew. The expert noise was the perfect pitch of a bird, sending a quick message as discreetly as possible: _Quiet. Danger. Keep your positions._

She was listening so hard her ears began to hurt. She dared to move, leaning forward just an inch.

The whistling sound alerted her just before the fatal wound would have; her hand flashed up and caught the offending arrow with the reflexes of a snake. Fast as her father's lightning, she sent one back, then quickly shifted her position.

She realized she was still holding the arrow in her hand. She lifted it to her eyes, studying it with sudden curiosity. The arrow was silver in color, just like her own, but less elegant, crudely shaped, as if carved with careless hands. It was obvious the arrow was made for skill, rather than looks.

She held it tightly, a look of shock leaping to her face as she finally understood.

She jumped into the open—a stupid move, really, as most of the flying arrows went to her immediately, but more cut them off before they could touch her.

"STOP!" she yelled in Greek. Lightning flashed menacingly. Her voice rang with the proper authority of Zeus's daughter and Artemis's lieutenant. So much, the arrows ceased to fly, and her Hunters stepped cautiously into her line of sight.

Thalia's eyes searched the dark for the enemy she knew was there. She could tell they were puzzled—shocked, even, at her outburst. They were trying to decide their next move. Lucky for her, their move was one of curious truce, rather than shoot-now-ask-questions-later.

A figure moved in the fog, silently walking into the clearing. It was a girl Thalia's age, clutching an odd silver bow, her dark eyes flitting warily from Hunter to Hunter, finally settling on Thalia.

"_Tu peccatum. Quis es ausus invadere?" _The words were alien to Thalia's ears, the voice uttering them cold and unfriendly.*

She had to struggle to recall old lessons of the dead language. _"Friends,"_ she offered. "_We do not wish to fight."_

Whispers went up among the Hunters at Thalia's words. They didn't know she could speak it. They didn't know Chiron had taught her. Only now did Thalia know why he did.

The girl obviously disagreed with Thalia's offering. She tried for English instead. "You will leave now. We do not take kindly to invaders."

"We're not trying to invade," Thalia said calmly. She shouldered her bow. "My name is Thalia. Who are you?"

The girl eyed Thalia's bow, but she unarmed herself as well, reluctantly waving forward her companions. Girls no older than her, dressed in thick furs and carrying silver bows. Their eyes, trained and careful, probed the darkness for potential weaknesses.

The girl's hand clenched.

"I am Rowena," she announced. "Daughter of Jupiter. Praetor to Diana, goddess of the Hunt."

* * *

*** Tu peccatum. Quis es ausus invadere? - You trespass. Who are you, to dare to invade us?**

**Well then. I hope you liked that. It was definitely fun to write :) Anyhow, just review to say what you think, whether it be flames (which personally I consider constructive criticism) or compliments. This is only a taste of what's coming. My usual chapters are soooo much longer than this. Thank you for reading!**

**~Mia~**


	2. Complications

**2/Complications**

The clearing had dissolved into stunned silence at the girl's words.

Thalia herself blinked. "Daughter of _Jupiter?_" she repeated. She hadn't met a child of Jupiter since...

Rowena's chin lifted proudly. "Yes. Who are you?"

Thalia studied her. She looked almost nothing like Thalia. Same blue eyes, but everything else was completely different. Her hair was blonde, pulled back in a rough braid. A silver crown ran across her brow, too alike to Thalia's for comfort. She wore a fur-lined jacket and riding pants, unlike Thalia's silver camo pants and leather jacket. Her features were rounder, rather than Thalia's sharp, hawk-like face, and she was shorter and thinner, yet regal all the same. It was clear, from the girl's air, that she considered herself in a high position.

Romans.

"I am Thalia," Thalia said coldly. "Daughter of Zeus. Lieutenant to Artemis."

A low hiss escaped Rowena's lips. Thalia had her knife's point under her chin before the Roman girl could even reach for her bow. "Greeks," Rowena snarled. "This is Roman territory. Leave now! Before the gods send you to the underworld."

"Roman gods can't condemn Greek demigods, according to the Treaty of San Francisco-New York," Thalia reminded her. Her voice was icy.

Rowena's gaze sharpened into a death glare. "A treaty you broke as soon as you stepped foot in San Francisco," she hissed.

"This is Neutral Zone," Thalia said. The knife dug deeper into Rowena's skin.

"Thalia, stop."

Thalia didn't look away at the sound of her friend's voice, but her grip relaxed slightly. "What, Phoebe?"

The daughter of Apollo usually wasn't quick to end a fight; in fact, she was more for provoking one. But now she stepped in, walking directly to Thalia's side. "According to the Treaty of San Francisco-New York, Greeks and Romans can't kill each other, either," she said.

Thalia kept her eyes on Rowena. "No man's land. I'm free to kill her, if I want." But, to everyone's surprise, she dropped her hand and replaced her knife in one swift move. "But I won't. You're not worth one drachma, and I don't want to get on Diana's bad side."

Rowena looked surprised at Thalia's words, but she was clearly still on guard. She wiped the spot of blood from her throat. "Fine. Why did you come?"

"Artemis asked me here," Thalia stated.

Rowena's brow furrowed. "Diana ordered the same for us," she replied.

"Something's wrong," Phoebe realized for the both of them. Within seconds every Hunter—Roman and Greek—had her bow out.

"Which god is screwing us?" Thalia wondered aloud.

Rowena frowned. "Don't know. Whoever it is, they're good."

"Agreed," Thalia said, then winced. The word literally hurt her, to agree with something the Roman girl said, but it made sense. "We should set camp. I think we both know what stirs on the solstice."

Thalia was one hundred percent sure something would go terribly, terribly wrong _this_ winter solstice.

Rowena nodded stiffly. "We'll set up a combined camp. There's better odds in numbers."

Thalia didn't really want to agree—she knew the other Hunters wouldn't be happy about it—but she forced herself to say, "Okay. Be back here in an hour."

The other girl didn't say anything to agree with Thalia's cold command. Instead she called, _"Exeat! Castra reduxit!"_ *She looked back at Thalia for only a second. "We found one of yours in the woods," she said. "She's over there." She pointed into the trees, then bounded into the darkness after her Hunters.

"Thalia?" Callie asked. "Was she talking about Carmen?"

"Find her," Thalia commanded. Callie gave her a grateful glance, then grabbed Alexa's hand and ran into the trees.

Thalia realized the other Hunters were still there. "Go back to camp," she said tiredly. "Be here in an hour."

Phoebe was the only one who stayed back as the girls tripped over one another to leave. "I hate Romans," she grumbled.

"You're not the only one," Thalia agreed. She sighed. "Us running into them isn't a coincidence. It never is."

Phoebe pondered that. "Think we should call camp?"

Thalia frowned. "Not unless we find something bad. Then we should contact Chiron." She paused, then added, "If he doesn't already know."

Phoebe nodded. "What do you think of the Roman chick?"

Thalia pursed her lips. "I don't like her," she admitted. "But if the gods have us in the same place, we need to work together."

"And Artemis?"

The lieutenant tensed at that. "I know."

"The doors to Olympus are closed again. Zeus isn't talking."

"I know, Phoebe."

"You remember the last time this happened."

"Yes, I know!" Thalia exclaimed. "Go!"

Her friend looked disgruntled, but notched her bow and disappeared with the others. Thalia knew she wouldn't have trouble locating them. Phoebe was their best tracker.

She sighed to herself before going in the opposite direction. She needed to think.

* * *

By the time the Romans returned, it was nightfall. Together, the Hunters created their camp without too many disputes. They set a bonfire in the center of their fourteen-tented circle, animals patrolling the perimeter.

The Hunters hadn't dared to mingle. The Greeks took the left side of the bonfire, while the Romans took the right.

Thalia couldn't help but notice that, alike everything else about them, their initial campsite was crude and shabby. Her tents were bright and silvery, soft as silk. Rowena's were silver as well, but the color had faded, and the fabric was stained and ragged with wear-and-tear use. The fire they'd initially built would've burned long and strong, but probably would've taken the whole forest with it.

After a couple of arguments and a cut or two, both sides of the Hunters had retired to their tents, sending wary glances and glares toward each other.

Thalia didn't want to sleep. Gods knew she'd only dream. And Zeus, she sure as hell didn't need any more dreams on top of her troubles.

But damn, she was tired. It'd been a week of travel, following Cerynitis all the way from New York. She knew that was irrational, but Thalia was all for irrational. Besides, she knew something was wrong.

The gods hadn't gone silent since Jason appeared. Percy missing. Gaia returning. She didn't want to think about what happened as she treaded silently through the trees.

The thoughts rolled in like angry clouds anyway. Jason…spending time with the Greeks hadn't scored him any points with the Roman camp. They'd almost torn him apart. Lupa, the cursed wolf, sent him into exile until they decided what to do with him. Even his old girlfriend, Reyna, had turned her back on him.

Thalia didn't even know if he was still in New York. Last time she'd seen him, he was staying with Piper and her dad in their Manhattan apartment.

Annabeth and Percy had gotten married, she knew that much. Thalia was at the wedding. So was everyone else. Nico'd brought a date, a beautiful young woman named Sonia Eames. Jason was with Piper. Thalia had been stuck at a table alone with Leo, who, of course, tried to talk her out of being a Hunter when his date, Angela, wasn't around. Thalia'd tossed her water on him, but that was about it.

How many years had it been? She tried to count. Ten? Eleven? They would be older now. She'd still be fifteen.

Crunching recalled her from her memories. Arming her bow, she quickly scaled the nearest redwood and hid herself in the shadows.

"...son of a gun...lose yourself in a darn forest...hate this..." someone cursed to themselves as they stumbled through the trees clumsily.

Thalia frowned as the person stomped into sight—a boy. She didn't like boys. She scowled at the thought of what she was going to do. She didn't like heights either. But she jumped.

The boy let out a yell as she landed in front of him. She didn't bother going for her bow; arrows weren't as good for close range. Instead Aegis spiraled to life, and her spear extended in her hand. She allowed herself a smirk at the boy's stunned expression.

Surprisingly, he pulled a sword, but it was obvious from the way he held it that he didn't know how to use it. Thalia almost wanted to laugh.

"You should run, kid," she said, still smirking.

A determined look flashed across his face. "I don't run from fights."

"Who said I was going to fight you?"

He swung wordlessly. Thalia dodged the blow, laughing internally. She met his sword low and rammed him in the chest with Aegis, sending him sprawling. He was back up in another second, swiping at her with a wild battle cry. She knocked his blade aside and placed her knee in his side, laughing to herself as he doubled over in pain.

She couldn't deny that she was playing with him. She hadn't had a fight with an actual person in years. She'd been stuck with boars and bucks for sparring partners instead. It felt _good_ to fight.

"Do you have any idea who you've just challenged?" she said, smiling while he coughed.

"A really hot chick," he wheezed.

That wiped the smile from her face, replacing it with a scowl. "Who do you think you are, kid?"

He grinned. "Your worst nightmare."

He swung once more. Thalia simply grabbed his arms and head-butted him, watching him drop.

She spat on the ground. "That line's cheesy anyway."

When she dragged him back to camp, Rowena was not happy to see him. "You idiot," she hissed. "We can't deal with mortals right now."

Thalia fought the urge to punch her. "He's not a mortal," she said calmly. "Look at his sword." She pointed. "That's not steel."

"Imperial gold?" one of Rowena's Hunters gasped. "Rowena…"

"Shut up, Fauna," Rowena snapped. She looked down her nose at the kid lying in the dirt. "He's a _boy_."

"Yeah, I know," Thalia said sarcastically. "But he's a demigod. And a Roman one at that." Her nose wrinkled. "He belongs at Camp Rome."

"No," Rowena stated. "The Hunters of Diana have avoided _Castra Roma_ for centuries."

Thalia raised her eyebrows. Even _her_ Hunters hadn't been away from Camp Half-Blood for that long. "Well, I think it's time to make an appearance, don't you?"

* * *

_As soon as she realized where she was, she sighed. No doubt some god was going to tell her a long-lost prophecy, explain some mysterious future event, to order her to fix their problems._

_She marched through the trees, pushing aside a stray branch to give herself a full view of the clearing._

_At first she didn't recognize the young woman on the silver throne, stroking the infant doe in her lap. Her first thought was how alike the woman looked to her mistress, yet how different._

_Her hair was darker, her features sharper, though if that was with age or with cruelty, Thalia didn't know. She was taller and older, in her mid-twenties, with a silvery tattoo on her upper arm; a crescent moon, labeled with the letters SPQR. No, this was not Artemis._

"_Diana," Thalia said. Her own voice sounded strange to her. She guessed that was the dreamscape._

_The goddess tilted her head, regarding her with a suspicious kind of interest. "Thalia. I see you've met my praetor."_

_Thalia couldn't help snorting. "Real charmer you have there."_

_Diana frowned. "She is mine, nonetheless. Do not be smart with me, girl."_

_The daughter of Zeus frowned back. She had to be careful around this one. If Artemis was harsh as a Greek, Thalia shuddered to imagine what she could be like as a Roman. "Fine," Thalia relented. "What do you want?"_

_Diana lifted her chin. "The doors to both Mount Olympus and *Dii have been closed. I believe you know that."_

_Thalia suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "It's pretty impossible to miss, yeah."_

_Diana's eyes flashed. "Yes, well. Why do you think so?"_

_Thalia blinked. Since when did Roman gods care about what she thought? The unexpected request could only make her more cautious than she already was. "At first," she began reluctantly, "I thought it was only Olympus that was closed. That would mean the Greek gods were absent, and were the Roman gods to their Roman children, since they can't be two people at once." She swallowed, then continued. "Rowena, she let slip that the gods on her side went quiet too. That meant that Dii was closed as well. Meant that the gods are absent. Which means if they're not here, watching us…" She took a breath. "They're somewhere else, watching something else that's way more dangerous than us."_

_Silence fell, then, to Thalia's surprise, Diana laughed. The sound startled her. It was nothing like Artemis's laugh. This one was wildly out of control, almost hysterical, like a rearing boar that needed taming. Yet Thalia already knew this goddess would never be tamed._

"_What?" Thalia asked cautiously._

"_You are far wittier than my Rowena," Diana chortled. "Clever, as well. Do not chastise me, girl. I had to be sure you could do the job before I tell you what it is."_

"_What job?" Thalia was instantly wary._

_Diana leaned forward, clearly enjoying her new game. "The boy who stumbled upon your camp today—he's no ordinary boy. You know that, Thalia. He is the key to the safety of all mankind. Or, part of it."_

"_What's this 'key's' name?" Thalia asked skeptically. She couldn't be sure that what Diana was telling her was truth._

"_Nathaniel T. Grace," the goddess answered. "Ask him. That's what he'll tell you as well. And Thalia, you know him far more than you think."_

_With the moon goddess's wild laugh chasing after her, Thalia's mind faded into darkness._

She sat up with a start, breathing hard. She ran a hand through her hair. "Gods," she muttered. "Riddles. Why does it always have to be riddles?" She ran a hand through her hair, waiting for her heartbeat to slow.

She realized she wasn't the only one awake; the girls were already preparing for the day, feeding the hawks and wolves, sharpening knives, testing arrows. Unsurprising. Both sides of the Hunters wouldn't want to be asleep while the other was up and moving. They were too suspicious.

Thalia was still suspicious of Rowena as well, she couldn't deny that. The Roman huntress was as cold and unfeeling as a robot, and Thalia was certain she wouldn't shed any tears over slitting her throat.

She stabbed her knife in the ground angrily. Gods, she hated the thought of going to Camp Rome. Romans were so stick-in-the-mud. Discipline, discipline, discipline. Honor, honor, honor. Irritating, irritating, irritating.

The last time Greeks and Romans mixed, they'd been forced to work together to defeat Gaia. The Greeks learned better battle strategies, the Romans learned to relax a bit more. But that was about it. After Jason and Percy eventually left for normal lives, the camps went back to hating each other. If the two had been there, they would've put a complete stop to it. But the directors had no problem with hating the other half; Lupa and Chiron certainly didn't try anything.

The Romans wouldn't take kindly to seeing them either. They hated the Hunters of Diana visiting (they always got in fights with the Venus kids), so Thalia hated to think how much they would despise the Hunters of Artemis.

Her gaze slid over to the young boy, rope-cuffed to the side of Rowena's tent. Roman camper. Nathaniel T. _Grace_…

She was on her feet and standing in front of him before she knew what was happening. He scowled at her. "What?"

"Don't get snippy, kid," she said coldly. "Just tell me if I'm right: your name's Nathaniel T. Grace."

Shock appeared on his face. "How do you know that?" he demanded.

She ignored the question. "What does the T stand for?"

"Theodore," he said stubbornly. She knew he was lying.

She crouched next to him. "What does it really stand for?"

He was still scowling, but he said, "Thalia. My stupid dad decided to name me after his stupid sister."

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Would your dad's name happen to be Jason Grace?"

"What...? Are you psychic?"

_Great, _she thought. _Now I have to call Jason._ She looked down at him. "I wouldn't be calling his sister stupid. She might just shoot you."

"Who are you?" he said angrily, jerking at his rope-cuffed hand.

She smiled. "Thalia Grace. Your dad's sister."

* * *

Unlucky for Thalia, she didn't have any drachmas left. She couldn't use _aurei_, the Roman coins, for Iris-messages. To her dismay, she decided to see Jason personally. She left Phoebe in charge, and set out for New York.

Lucky for Thalia, she'd gotten new demigodly powers over the years, including lightning-travel. All she had to do was summon lightning to take her wherever she wanted, in a way like Nico di Angelo's shadow-traveling. Also alike Nico, she became exhausted when traveling long-distances. Like California to New York.

She'd been aiming for Jason's doorstep, rather than his living room. So instantly her face was assaulted by a building block.

"Ow!" she complained. "Jason!"

Her little brother's face popped up from behind the couch, his arm mid-throw. She saw immediately that he wasn't so little anymore. Her face lapsed into a frown.

"Thalia?"

"Thalia?" Piper's head appeared from behind the kitchen counter, holding a cookie tray like a shield.

Jason was hugging her all of a sudden. With a sinking heart, she realized he was taller than her now, much older, no longer a boy, but a man. He held her at arm's length. "Gods, Thals, you look exactly the same!" He and Piper shared a laugh.

Piper, if anything, was more beautiful than when Thalia saw her last. Her chocolate hair was longer and curlier, her face more angular, her limbs more slender. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "We haven't seen you since—"

"Annabeth's wedding, I know," Thalia interrupted. "Look, I'm sorry about that. But I have to tell you something."

Sensing the urgency in her voice, the smile slipped off Jason's face. Replacing it was an old expression; one of leadership, command, and experience, all belonging to Jason, praetor to Camp Rome, son of Jupiter. The sight made Thalia's heart drop even more.

"Do you have a son?" she started.

Piper's face paled. "Nathan?" she said. "Oh my gods, what happened? He was at Jackson's house today!"

"Jackson?" Thalia repeated. "Percy Jackson?"

Jason shook his head. "Yes and no. Percy Junior."

"They named him Percy?" Thalia would've laughed, if the situation hadn't been so serious.

"Troy," Jason said. "Thalia, where's Nathan?"

"He's at our camp, with me," she told him. "Jason, have you ever met the Hunters of Diana?"

Jason's face turned stony. "Aida?"

Thalia frowned. "No. Rowena."

"What?" he demanded. "Little Rowena?"

"She's not so little anymore," Thalia said. "She's praetor to Diana now."

Jason cursed, earning him a glare from Piper. "What's going on?" he asked.

Thalia shook her head. "I have no idea," she told him honestly. "The doors to Dii are closed. Have you noticed?"

He frowned, but Piper nodded. "Aphrodite usually speaks to me, or at least, Eros, but none of them have. The last thing I got from her was this." She pulled a compact from her pocket.

Thalia took it. "What is it?"

"It lets you see whoever you want," Piper said. "Just say their name." Thalia tried to give it back, but Piper pushed it into her hands. "Give it to Nathan," she insisted.

"He'll need it," Thalia agreed. "Jason, something's seriously wrong. If both Dii and Olympus have gone silent, you know what that means."

"Something else is stirring," he said. "Got it. We'll go see Leo, give him the 411. Take Nathan to _Castra Roma_. If Lupa has any sense, she'll render him a pup."

"Go see Percy," Piper urged. "He's got to know something, right? If Nathan went missing from his house…"

"Alright," Thalia agreed reluctantly. She wasn't so keen on seeing Percy and Annabeth again; she had no idea how they would react. Or what would be waiting for her there.

This time, she got to the right place: Percy's porch. She was just about to reach for the doorbell when raised voices cut through the door, freezing her in place.

"_Perseus Jackson!_ Don't you _dare_ walk away from me!"

"What do you want? I've done _everything_ you said!"

"_That's_ what you call everything? How could you _forget_ about—"

"Just _drop it_, Annabeth!"

"How can I? You—put Riptide down! I'm your _wife!_"

"Yeah? _Well you're not acting like it!_"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"What else could it mean? It means you're not acting like my wife!"

"Well you're not acting like my husband, Kelp Head!"

Thalia punched the bell, just to make it stop.

The door yanked opened. Percy himself stepped out, scowling. Thalia blinked. He looked so _different_ from the sixteen-year-old boy who saved the world. His face was tired, made worse by the scowl—older. He was taller, and broader. His eyes widened when he realized who stood in front of him. "Thalia?"

"Thalia?" someone else echoed inside the house.

Thalia's eyes flickered from Percy's worn face to the angry voice inside, but she didn't say a thing. She had to stay on task. She looked Percy in the eye. "Percy, we have to talk."

He nodded, and held the door open for her. Walking into the room, she came face-to-face with a stricken-looking Annabeth Jackson. She, too, was unalike the wit-filled girl Thalia had known long ago. Her hair was longer, unlike the short cut she usually preferred. Her face was longer and less round, her eyes less bright.

A strained smile spread across her lips. "Thalia, what are you doing here?"

"We have to talk," Thalia repeated. In turn, Annabeth glared at Percy, who glowered right back.

"I'll be at Grover's," he growled at her. He snatched up a jacket and slammed the door behind him.

"Good!" she yelled at the door. "At least then I don't have to clean up your mess!" No answer. There was a beat of silence. Annabeth's face crumpled, and she seemed to melt into the couch, shoulders hunched in what looked like defeat—but Annabeth never lost.

"What's going on, Annabeth?" Thalia asked, looking at her hard.

"It's just a fight," she murmured. "He'll-he'll come back." But she didn't sound so confident.

Thalia sat next to her. "What happened?"

Annabeth sighed, blinking hard, as if tears were beginning to well up. "It started over something really stupid, Thals. He was helping me clean out my desk, and he accidentally shredded some blueprints of a bank I was working really hard on. I-I flipped out, yelled at him for like ten minutes straight. And…he just stood there. He just took it." She bit her lips.

"And?" Thalia prompted. A sense at the back of her mind reminded her that this wasn't what she came to Percy's house for, but she pushed it away. Annabeth was her little sister. She couldn't just ignore her.

"He said he was sorry, and that he would go down to Brooklyn and get that special schematic paper I love from Rachel's house." A sniff interrupted her words, but she kept going.

"I waited and waited for him to come back, but he didn't. He went to a bar. A _bar_, Thalia. He was there for six hours—he even forgot to pick up Troy from his ball game. And when he got home, he was so wasted he broke a table with Riptide and tried to stab me because he thought I was a monster." A tear slipped down her cheek. "We've been fighting ever since."

Thalia put her arm around Annabeth's shoulders. "It's okay, Annabeth. He's just being Percy."

Annabeth leaned her head onto Thalia's shoulder. "We've been married almost nine years, Thals. Nine. And now I'm not even that mad at him anymore. I'm just scared that this is going to fall apart."

"Mom?"

They looked up. A boy was standing in the hall, frowning. Thalia immediately noticed the face that didn't belong to him, completed by the same stance and expression.

Annabeth quickly swiped her sleeve over her eyes. "Troy, go back to your room."

"No," he said, suddenly defiant. He crossed his arms over his chest. "What's going on?" His green eyes flicked around. "Where's Dad?"

Annabeth's mouth opened and closed; she had no idea what to say. Thalia spoke for her. "He went to get some more eggs from the grocery store," she said calmly.

Troy eyed her. "Who're you?"

"I'm Thalia," she replied. "Your aunt."

"You don't have a sister," he accused his mother.

"Troy? Where'd you put the— Hey, what's going on?" A second boy who looked remarkably familiar stepped into sight.

"That's exactly what I want to know," Troy said, glowering at Annabeth.

"Will you get your mom a glass of water from the kitchen?" It sounded more like a command than a question coming from Thalia's lips.

Troy frowned and didn't move. The other boy spoke up. "Come on, T. Let's go."

"Fine, Alex," Troy muttered. The two boys left the room reluctantly.

Annabeth sighed. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"Who's the other kid?" Thalia asked thoughtfully.

"Alex di Angelo," Annabeth answered in a dull, absent voice. Her gray eyes were clouded, fixated on the door with no visible intention of moving.

"Huh," Thalia uttered finally, "di Angelo got game." She looked down at her friend. "Look, Annabeth, I'm really sorry about whatever's going on here, but I have to ask you something. I can't stay long."

Annabeth's back straightened. "Of course." She wiped her eyes. "What is it? Why aren't you with the Hunters?"

Thalia could feel her face lapsing into ominous graveness. "Something's come up," she said finally. "I met another group."

"Romans?" Annabeth's voice was almost tinged with fear, but not quite. "We really don't need Romans to stir the pot right now."

"You're not in the pot," Thalia assured her soothingly. "No, I ran into the Hunters of Diana."

Annabeth's eyebrows shot up. Suddenly her sad air was gone, dissolved in the alert, daughter-of-Athena interest that Thalia was so used to. "What? I wasn't even aware they existed."

"Oh, believe me, they do," Thalia replied grimly. "They don't like Camp Rome; they tend to stay away from it."

"That would explain it," Annabeth said thoughtfully. "But…why would that bring you here?"

"Do you know where Nathaniel Grace is?" They stared at each other for a second.

"TROY! ALEX!" Annabeth yelled suddenly, making Thalia jump a little.

A crashing sound came from the door to the hall, followed by "OW!" and "Get your elbow outta me!" then the two boys came tumbling into the room.

Troy was on his feet instantly, holding a broom like it was a sword. "What? What happened, Mom?"

"Where's Nathan?" Annabeth's expression was much more fierce and terrifying than any of her battle faces; Thalia knew immediately it was her "mother" face.

Alex and Troy exchanged fearful glances. Annabeth's face grew worse. "Where is he?" she said, through gritted teeth.

A frantic conversation seemed to pass like sparks between the boys' eyes. Alex stepped forward finally, holding up his hands. "Okay, Aunt Beth, um, we may have…locked Nate outside."

"What?" Thalia said at the same moment Annabeth shrieked the very word.

"We didn't think he'd get lost!" Troy protested. "He's not that dumb!" Alex's eye-roll clearly meant he thought otherwise.

"It's okay, Annabeth," Thalia said. "My Hunters found him in the Muir Woods in San Fran."

Annabeth relaxed visibly. "I better call Jason and Piper."

"No!" Troy and Alex yelled at the same time.

"My dad's going to kill me!" Alex exclaimed.

Thalia was closing the door behind her just as Annabeth started scolding.

* * *

**Yes, I am aware that Annabeth is OOC, but just think about it for a second. If she and her much-loved husband Percy are fighting, would she really be herself? And she just lost a demigod friend's kid. So ya know...**

**~ Mia ~**


	3. Camp Rome

**Boom! And just like that I'm back! **

**Whoa, sorry for that. I'm hyper right now. And hungry. I'm sure you guys know how bad a combo that is. Anyway, thanks to all that reviewed, they make me really happy. And motivated. It kind of helps me write more stuff, thought even if you flamed me I'd still write. Ahem. Now, without further ado, look down and read your extra-long chapter. **

* * *

**3/Camp Rome**

Almost as soon as Thalia appeared, a flutter of wings drew her attention. She lifted her arm, and a beautiful snowy eagle perched on her sleeve.

Its silvery eyes stared into hers. _Lady Thalia, there is trouble brewing._

_I know, Zoë,_ Thalia answered. _Where have you been?_

The eagle's head swiveled to stare at the dark sky. _Searching the skies,_ she replied. _There is no sign of Olympus opening._

Thalia frowned. _And Dii?_

Her pet shook her head.

_What about my father?_ Thalia pressed. _Pegasus? Laertes?_

_Nothing, my lady,_ Zoë bowed. _I am sorry._

Thalia fed her a bit of meat. _It's alright, Zoë. There's no shame in this. The gods have vanished. If they don't want to be found, not even an eagle like you can find them._ She planted a kiss on the snow-eagle's feathery head, then threw her into flight.

"What was that?"

Thalia had almost forgotten about her brother's son, still tied to Rowena's tent. He had been watching her exchange with the eagle curiously, and now he was waiting for an answer.

"My eagle," Thalia replied. "She was a gift."

"From who?"

"My father," she answered reluctantly. "Your grandfather. He's the master of the eagles."

"Thalia! Thank the gods!" Callie came running up.

Thalia was instantly alert. "What?" she demanded, her hand going to her bow. "What happened?"

"The Romans found another demigod roaming the woods," Callie panted. "A girl." She turned and pointed.

The girl in question was fighting against Phoebe's binding hands, spitting Spanish curses none of them understood. Nathan Grace tugged at his rope. "Elena?" he called. "Elena! Hey! Stop, let her go!"

Phoebe and Kelly looked at Thalia for permission, who nodded reluctantly. With one swipe of her knife, she cut Nathan loose, who immediately got up and ran to the girl, Elena.

Thalia walked over as well. "What's your name?" she asked the girl.

"Elena Valdez," she said coldly. She blew her dark hair out of her eyes.

Phoebe frowned. "Valdez's daughter?"

Thalia swore silently. "No time to take her to Leo's house," she decided. "She has to come to Camp Rome with us."

"Another Greek?" Rowena demanded, appearing out of nowhere. "No! You Greek Hunters is enough without Greek _demigods_. Lupa will tear us apart!"

"No, she won't," Thalia disagreed. "Camp Rome won't be happy we're there, but even Lupa doesn't want another Civil War. We leave at dawn."

* * *

Within minutes, the Hunters had readied their campsite for travel; the tents had been folded, the fire put out, the animals paired with their mistresses. All traces of their being there had been completely erased.

Zoë flapped onto Thalia's shoulder. _Skies are clear, my lady._

_And so are the grounds,_ Thalia's wolf, Bianca, padded over to her. _I have the other wolves patrolling a mile-perimeter around us, Lady Thalia._

_Good,_ Thalia said to the both of them. _Zoë, keep an eye on the skies. Bianca, bring back trouble in pieces._

Zoë obediently pushed off Thalia's arm, but Bianca lingered. _And if they are demigods, my lady?_

Thalia stopped walking, turning to look her wolf in the eyes. _Bianca, do you know something?_

_If I did, do you not think I would have told you?_

The Hunter was sure she was being lied to, but she didn't press. _Demigods are to be brought back alive. You can do what you want with any others._

The silver wolf bowed low to her mistress, her muzzle nearly brushing the ground. _Of course, Lady Thalia. Travel safely._ Then Bianca bounded into the wilderness, leaving barely a trace of footprints in the ground.

"Thalia."

She turned, but as soon as she saw who it was, her pleasant expression changed to one of business. "Rowena."

For the first time since Thalia had met her, the Roman Hunter seemed troubled. She fingered an arrow nervously. "I had a dream," she admitted finally.

"Demigods dream," Thalia said, starting to walk.

Rowena hurried to catch up with her steps. "Move out!" she called in a commanding voice over her shoulder. She turned back to Thalia. "It wasn't just a dream."

"Was it a warning? Or a message?" Thalia questioned tiredly.

"Both, I think," Rowena answered. "Artemis visited me."

Thalia almost dropped the bundle in her hands, but quickly regained her cool composure. "Artemis?" She tried to keep the worry out of her voice.

Rowena frowned. "Yes. I was in Central Park, New York. She was waiting for me."

"What did she say?"

"She said…she said that I had to find someone," Rowena's brow furrowed, showing her confusion. "Someone in danger. She said that he would help defeat the greatest threat of all."

Thalia felt the always-unusual sense of déjà vu coming over her. "Was his name Nathaniel Grace?"

Rowena looked at her strangely. "No. No, his name was Alastor Jackson."

Thalia almost stopped walking. The boy she'd seen in Percy's home was going to help save the world? It was almost funny, except that it was so serious. Then another thought struck her; if Percy Jackson's son was helping, who was doing it? Nathan, she realized. It made so much sense. _A grandson of Zeus is only destined for greatness._

The words echoing in her mind weren't hers, she knew that instantly. The voice was a goddess's, she knew that as well. _Athena?_ she asked tentatively.

_No, daughter of Zeus. I am Minerva._

Thalia's temper flared at that. Why were only Roman gods speaking to her? She hated Romans. They incited an extremely frustrated feeling in the pit of her stomach by simply being near her, like they were a complex math problem she couldn't solve. She hated math too.

Minerva's voice spoke again: _Use the mind your gods gave you, Thalia Grace. You will need it to accomplish the greatest feat of all._

And her presence was gone.

"He'll be at Camp Half-Blood," Thalia said finally. "If the Jacksons are afraid of anything, it's the safety of their son. He'll be with Chiron."

Rowena scowled at that. "I guess that means we'll be going to Camp Half-Blood with you."

"The gods wish it," Thalia answered simply. "We can't ignore them."

The two girls, praetor and lieutenant, fell silent, running in perfect synchronization neither of them noticed. The Hunters behind them watched curiously, trying to decide who was more worth worrying over: Thalia, or Rowena.

Thalia wasn't sure of that either.

* * *

Running through underbrush wasn't a problem for either side of the Hunters, but they were forced to stop occasionally for the younger demigods, who were obviously unused to such constant travel.

Elena Valdez was still miffed about accompanying them to Camp Rome; upon learning of the gods' existence, she seemed slightly less unsurprised than most, and only got more irritated.

Nathan Grace was kind-hearted, Thalia could see that, but naïve. He, unlike Elena, already knew about the gods, and had no visible problem with them. Disturbingly to the Hunters, he hovered over Elena constantly, getting more and more nervous every moment he stayed near her. To each Hunter it was clear he liked her, but Elena seemed oblivious to the fact.

For what seemed the thousandth time, she called to rest, then sat heavily on a rock, downing most of the water in the skin given to her.

Thalia frowned, crossing her arms. "We can't keep stopping every time you get tired," she told the girl irritably. "We have to get to Camp Rome soon."

"I don't care," Elena retorted bluntly. "Camp Rome isn't for me. I'm not Roman."

"No," Thalia agreed. "If you were, Lupa would've torn you limb from limb." She earned herself a death glare, but she smiled coldly anyway.

Rowena was scowling by then. "Valdez," she snapped. "If you don't get up, we're going to have to drag you."

Elena glared at her, crossing her arms in a huff. "You're bluffing."

Five minutes later, Leo Valdez's daughter couldn't complain, gagged and tied to a bear-skin cot dragged by one of the Romans' massive wolves, Remus.

"Gods, she's annoying," Thalia muttered.

"She's nice, if you get to know her," Nathan said dreamily.

Thalia hadn't even realized he was standing by her. "I'm not sure I want to," she said warily. "Look, Nathan, I'm not going to lie to you. Life at Camp Rome isn't going to be easy."

He gave her a curious look. "You've been there?"

Thalia hesitated. "Once or twice," she admitted. "A lifetime ago." Of course, she knew eleven years wasn't technically a lifetime, but for demigods, eleven years could be two of them.

"What's it like there?" he wanted to know.

Thalia frowned. "It's better I don't go into details," she said finally. "The less you know, the longer you live."

"Stop," Rowena called, holding up a hand. "We're here."

Thalia instantly recognized (and disliked) the place called Camp Rome, known to most mortals as the Berkley Hills. She whistled. Rowena gave her a warning look, but Zoë fluttered down anyway, settling on Thalia's arm.

_You called, my lady?_

_How many?_ Thalia asked.

_Sixteen,_ the eagle answered. _Six on the walls flanking the main entrance, four on the outer and inner sides of the gate._

_Armed?_

_Of course._

_Call back the wolves,_ Thalia ordered. _I don't want any of them getting shot by Roman crossbows._

_Yes, Lady Thalia._ Zoë flew off into the sky, letting loose a sharp eagle's cry.

"Sixteen," Thalia informed Rowena. "Be prepared. You know how you Romans like to shoot before you look."

Rowena scowled. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." She waved her hand*. "Hunters! _Accinigimini_!"

"Be ready," Thalia echoed to her own group. "You remember how they get." That earned a few grumbles from the girls, but they silently and obediently moved into the shadows.

The two leaders themselves crept farthest into the Roman camp's range, quietly deciding their plan of maneuver.

The stone gateway before them was grand and tall, Thalia had to admit that. The walls surrounding it were built so securely she knew that no one would be able to enter unless it was directly through the gate. She counted twelve armored figures patrolling the tops of the walls, each armed with a crossbow and a _gladius_, a Roman sword.

Rowena squared her shoulders. "I'll go first," she said determinedly. "It's better they see a Roman before a Greek."

"Fine," Thalia said reluctantly. "But if anything goes wrong, I'm jumping in."

The other girl looked like she wanted to argue, but she just shook her head, rising to her feet, muttering something like, _"Stultus Graeci" _as** she did. She notched an arrow in her bow, then walked out calmly from the line of trees.

"_Fellow Romans!"_ she shouted in Latin Thalia fought to understand. _"Do not shoot! I, Rowena Reynolds, daughter of Jupiter, praetor to Diana, request permission to enter Camp Rome!"_

"_The code!"_ someone on the walls shouted back.

"_Senatus Populusque Romanus!"_ Rowena called.

There was a pause. Many of the Hunters sent Thalia worried looks as they armed their bows, shifting their positions nervously. Thalia stayed calm. As lieutenant she had to keep a solemn, cool composure.

"Open the gates!"

Thalia let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in, stepping cautiously from the safety of the trees, waving her Hunters forward. Rowena was visibly relieved as she waited for Thalia to catch up to her. The gates began to open with loud creaks, revealing golden light and a single girl standing in the center.

"Who's the girl?" Thalia asked her, gesturing.

Rowena's expression completely changed. She grabbed Thalia's arm. "Do _not_ underestimate her," she said urgently, keeping her eyes on the girl. "She might walk and talk like a freakin' _pixie_, but _please_, for the love of the gods, be as careful as you can."

She released Thalia's arm and marched toward the gates, leaving Thalia torn. Rowena was right, the girl in the gates didn't look more than fifteen, in a pair of worn shorts and a purple Camp Rome t-shirt. Rowena was right; this girl truly did resemble a pixie. Thalia honestly couldn't see how she was a threat. However, she eventually decided to go with Rowena's evaluation of the potential enemy. Romans were paranoid, anyhow.

She beckoned her Hunters forward, signaling to keep their bows out. The girl at the gates put her hands on her hips while they approached. "Rowena Reynolds!" she called. "I never thought I'd see _you_ again!"

"Yeah, it's been too soon, _vacca_," Rowena muttered.

The girl let out a peal of laughter. "Always the joker, Reynolds," she smiled. She turned to Thalia. "And who's this now?"

"Thalia," she said, before Rowena could speak for her. "Daughter of Zeus. Lieutenant to Artemis."

Every Roman within earshot tensed at the announcement, while the girl's eyebrows simply rose in new interest. "A Greek?" she asked, looking Thalia up and down. "Rowena, _you've_ been busy. Well," she continued when Rowena didn't respond, "I'm Autumn Campbell. Daughter of Venus. Praetor of the First Legion here at _Castra Roma_."

"Good for you," Thalia replied simply.

Autumn pursed her lips. Her eyes zeroed in on Nathan Grace, who'd been trying to admire Camp Rome unnoticed until that point. A brilliant smile lit up her face. "Who's the cutie?" she purred.

Nathan looked dumbstruck at Autumn. "Nathan," Thalia answered for him. "Nathan...Grace."

Autumn's eyebrows rose so high Thalia could imagine them flying off her head. "_Re_-ally?" She frowned in sudden thought. "Fauna," she said, craning around Rowena to see the thin girl at the back. "You can take your Hunters to Barrack Eight. _Only_ your Hunters." She turned her blinding smile on the remaining girls as Fauna and the others trooped off. "You, you, and you," Autumn jabbed a manicured finger at Thalia, Rowena, and Nathan, "it's time you met with Lupa. She's been just _dying_ to see you."

The Barracks of Camp Rome hadn't changed since Thalia's last visit. They all were, essentially, identical, with hardly a single symbol on each to distinguish one from another. Roman demigods marched past in soldier formations, sparring ruthlessly and training vigorously. Thalia scowled.

Nathan inched closer to Thalia nervously, his hand on his gold gladius. "Where are we going?" he asked quietly.

Thalia frowned. "To see Lupa," she answered indefinitely.

"Who's that?"

She paused. "Your worst nightmare."

"Here we are!" Autumn chirped disturbingly. "The Wolf House entrance!" The 'entrance' was a cave, dark and gloomy, so secluded Thalia would never have seen it if she hadn't already known where it was. Just how they wanted it.

Nathan looked at Autumn as if she were insane. "That's a cave."

"Not anymore it's not," she said brightly, pushing him in.

Rowena looked at Thalia with a slightly worried air, but when the Greek girl didn't respond, she climbed into the cave after the others, followed closely by Thalia.

As the three of them passed through the cave, Thalia heard Nathan gasp. She herself was unmoved, even as the Wolf House, chipped brick and moldy wood and crumbling ruin, loomed over her, threatening to invade her mind with ever-painful memories.

She tugged absently at her bracelet—a emotional mechanism she'd found helpful when avoiding a pained part of her past, sort of like snapping a rubber band for anger issues.

Gods, she hated it here. She felt as if she were an animal in the wild, waiting to be hunted. Always wary, ever-paranoid, constantly anticipating the next attack.

Autumn wordlessly stopped them as they reached the door—or, what remained of it. Thalia could see that it had once held a sturdy, wooden one, probably made by hand, but now it was old and cracked, simply an empty, sad, archway.

Nathan shot Thalia a questioning look as Autumn raised her fist. The dainty Venus girl punched the rock so hard it broke, one whole brick cracking in two as it fell. She blew the white dust off her knuckles calmly, then carefully pulled something out of the resulting hole—a key, as old as the Wolf House itself.

Autumn inserted the key into thin air, and turned it with a strangely audible click. As soon as she released it, the key zoomed back into the hole she'd made like magnets, along with the brick, which reformed as if it had never been broken.

"If I hadn't done that," she explained, "I would've burst into flames."

"Wow, I wish you hadn't done that," Thalia muttered under her breath. She jumped after Autumn and Rowena, into the deep trench that had once been a ranch house floor. Nathan's thudding footsteps behind her made her wince. Huntresses weren't fond of loud noises.

"This place is insane," Nathan whispered to her, a little too loudly.

She was about to answer, but stopped. She sensed the air around him easily—he was scared. Surprising, for a grandson of Jupiter, but normal for someone like him. _Only a fool goes into battle fearless._ "Camp Half-Blood is better," she agreed finally.

"Why can't I go there?"

She frowned at him. "Nathan, you're Roman. Camp Half-Blood is Greek." She knew she couldn't tell him the truth. The less he knew, the better.

"So?"

"We're here!" Autumn cried, so cheerily that Thalia had to grab her own arm to refrain herself from punching her. "Welcome to the Wolf House."

Looking around warily, Thalia noticed that this part of the Wolf House was chosen especially for its security, with too many shadowed corners for comfort. The floor she stood on was too deep, a few feet below visible outer ground level. She didn't like that.

Cautiously, she pulled out her bow.

Autumn suddenly dropped into a low Roman bow, directed toward the north side of the empty—or so Thalia thought—room. Nathan stared at her, stricken, for a moment, before mimicking her. Rowena followed suit reluctantly. Thalia remained still, glaring defiantly into the shadows.

A pair of yellow eyes appeared in the darkness suddenly, sending chills down Thalia's spine. The eyes were followed by a massive gray head, and an animal body at least as tall as Thalia.

The titanic she-wolf looked over the demigods with human-like interest, regarding each sternly. Thalia could've sworn it was scowling.

_You are dismissed, Autumn._

The wolf's muzzle did not move, and it made no sound, but Thalia was certain all of them heard the ancient, growling voice speaking in their minds. Her grip on her bow tightened.

Autumn's bright face dropped, showing the fierce, angry one beneath it. "What?" she demanded, stepping forward. "Madam Lupa, I've earned this! I was perfect!"

The sharp, finger-long teeth bared menacingly. _You have earned nothing. Leave. Now._

"But—" Autumn protested.

The wolf was upon her in a second, a growl tearing through its pointed teeth, its huge front paws threatening to crush her ribcage. _You _will_ obey me, Commander Campbell. I will not ask again._

Autumn swallowed. She rose once the wolf released her, and stalked out of sight, throwing an angry glare towards the remaining three.

Lupa began pacing a wide circle around them, staring each of them down with her large, old yellow eyes.

_So,_ she growled. _Commander Reynolds, I see you have decided to pay us a visit this century._

"I have been praetor only five years, Madam Lupa," Rowena answered with strained respect.

Lupa grunted in response. _A new demigod,_ she commented distastefully, eyeing Nathan. She leaned in and sniffed him, rearing back almost instantly. _You will be difficult to decide, boy,_ she said. _I am not fond of difficulties._

She turned away before Nathan could even attempt to choke out words, turning at last to Thalia. _Greek,_ she snarled. _Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus. Sister of Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, I believe?_

"You believe right," Thalia said stiffly.

Lupa sniffed. _A good praetor._

Thalia's knuckles turned white. "Then why did you send him into exile?" she demanded. "It broke his heart!"

Thalia didn't flinch when she found the wolf's muzzle a foot from her own face. Lupa snarled. _Jason was the best leader in centuries. Fraternizing with Greeks softened his composure. Exile was the most favorable option while we lie in wait for the pure Roman that lies within him. _

"Don't you think it's been long enough?" Thalia hissed. "It's been eleven years, Lupa!"

_A fourscore of years may not be enough. We wait for the return of the son of Jupiter. Castra Roma has no desire for a son of Zeus._

With that, she turned her back on Thalia. The huntress growled and reached for an arrow to accompany her bow, but Rowena's hand flashed and caught Thalia's. She shook her head furiously. Glaring, Thalia silently wrenched her hand back, reluctantly leaving her arrows in their place.

_Commander Reynolds, Grace, you will both retire to Barrack One. You will follow the schedule of the First Legion beginning on the morrow. Your Hunters will reside in the barrack of their heritage, otherwise they will stay in none._

Thalia stayed where she was. "I don't leave my Hunters," she said firmly.

_You will now. You _will_ follow our rules here, Greek. _Even from how far she stood, Thalia could see Lupa's lip curling.

Again, Thalia reached for the nearest weapon, but, again, Rowena warned against her, shaking her head. She frowned, knowing she couldn't argue with Lupa, then turned and followed Rowena out of the Wolf House, casting one last, worried look back at Nathan.

"I hate it here," she spat.

Rowena breathed deeply, raising her face to the sky. "I know," she said finally. "That doesn't mean the rest of us don't." She sighed. "I'll see you in Barrack One."

And with that, Diana's praetor walked away.

* * *

The Hunters brightened as Thalia stepped into view. Alexa jumped up. "Thalia!"

"What happened?" Phoebe demanded.

She folded her arms. "The damn wolf's splitting us up."

"What are you talking about?" Marissa said fiercely, her hand flitting to her knife.

"I have to send you all to your assigned barracks," Thalia said tiredly. "If you're a mortal or a nymph, you're camping out here. We have to follow the First Legion's schedule tomorrow. Lupa's orders."

"And we're just going to do what they say?" Amy said. "They're Romans! We're Greeks! They can't tell us what to do!"

"Yes, they can," Thalia said. "We're Greeks in Roman territory now. They have the right to order us around. We may not like it, but it's going to happen. Unless you want to be wolf food." She paused. "In the morning we can hunt in the woods, okay?"

The Hunters exchanged glances. "We'll do it," Phoebe spoke for them. "But we sure as hell won't like it."

"No one said we were going to like it," Thalia said. "We're with Romans. Nothing about them is likable."

She lingered behind while the girls reluctantly picked up their packs and followed their oldest siblings. Sienna and her sisters headed for Barrack Eleven; Monica and the other Aphrodite girls went to Barrack Ten, Amy took the Demeter girls to Barrack Four, and so on.

Phoebe and her sisters, Eve, Sara, Lucy, and Odessa, were the last ones to leave. "Be careful with the Jupiter kids," Phoebe said. "Jason is a nice one. These are _real_ Romans."

"Jason _is _a real Roman," Thalia said quietly, but Phoebe and the Apollo girls were already out of earshot.

The daughter of Zeus glared up at the sky, frowning. "I don't care if you're making sure Gaia's not sleepwalking, Dad, or whoever you are," she muttered, "you'd better not abandon me this time."

* * *

**I wrote that in 24 hours. Even during school. Yep, I know, I'm talented. Just kidding. So, is Nathan Grace pup or food to Lupa? Can the Hunters survive staying with Romans without killing one another? Will Thalia kick butt next chapter?**

**All my questions will be self-answered next time...**

**~ Mia ~**


	4. Boundaries

***holds up cookie pan as shield* Helloo? Okay, I'm probably in some major hot water for not updating for this long and I'm soooo sorry. But hey, when you're fourteen/fifteen, suffocating in grades, homework, parents, food, and trying to write three fics at the same time on top of all that, you don't feel so hot. Besides, I came down with a huge dose of writer's block, so I wouldn't be able to write crap even if I had the time. It took me soo long to write this much (it's like seven pages, mind you), so I'm hoping you guys won't track me down and kill me.**

**Anyway, if you care at all, the other fics are the New Era (which I haven't looked at in weeks), Being Bex (Gallagher Girls, which is "eh"), a oneshot or two, and oh yeah, this, so, apologizing again, hope you like what I finally came up with.**

* * *

**4/Boundaries**

The second Thalia stepped into Barrack One, she regretted it.

Every set of electric blue eyes swiveled to glare at her. Swiftly, she counted ten pairs of them; six boys, four girls. All armed. All dangerous.

One stood, a tall, athletic boy with an imperial gold sword. Thalia hated to admit it, but she recognized it as a _spatha_, a type of Roman sword. The wickedly sharp blade made her reach for her Mace can cautiously. Her eyes flicked from demigod to demigod, waiting for the first move.

There wasn't one. "Greek," the boy sneered. "You sleep there." He pointed at a shabby bunk in the corner, turned so every other bed had a clear view of it.

Thalia ignored him, setting her silver pack on the nearest one. Her nose was an inch from the boy's _spatha_ instantly.

"That's my bed, Greek," he hissed.

"My name," Thalia replied coldly, "is Thalia. And it's mine now." She frowned down his blade. "Get that out of my face, kid. Before you get hurt."

He leered. "Is that a threat?"

She shrugged. "I don't know." She found it pleasantly easy to grab his elbow, separate him from his weapon, and judo-flip him onto the floor, pointing the _spatha_ in his face before he could struggle to rise. "Do you want it to be?"

Suddenly everyone in the room had a weapon aimed at her. "Back off," a girl snarled.

Thalia regarded them calmly, hardly sparing the boy a glance as she flipped the sword and offered him the hilt. "Don't press me," she said icily, turning away. She could feel their eyes boring into the back of her head while she unpacked, despising her, watching her, evaluating her movements. She almost snorted. Romans; always looking for weaknesses.

So, she was, admittedly, surprised when a hand stuck out in front of her, offering a shocking amount of truce…for a Roman. Slowly Thalia raised her gaze to the tiny girl in front of her, calmly waiting for her to take her hand.

"Davina, you _morus_," someone hissed behind her. "Get away from her."

"Shut up, Tom," Davina said. "Just because she's Greek doesn't mean we have to be mean to her. I'm Davina," she added to Thalia. "It's okay. You can shake. I won't bite."

Thalia briefly grasped the girl's small hand, then dropping it quickly. "Thalia," she said.

Completely calm, Davina plopped on the edge of Thalia's new bunk. "Are you really a daughter of Zeus?" she asked.

"Yes," Thalia answered cautiously. She was too aware of the heads shaking furiously behind her, promising the young girl punishment later. She hated how paranoid Romans could be.

Davina frowned in thought, blowing her blond hair out of her eyes. "What's it like at the other camp?" she asked curiously. "Tom and Leah say that Greeks are weak and useless, but I don't think so. You don't look weak at all. You look like you're glowing."

Thalia smiled, but quickly wiped it off her face. This girl, with her bright eyes and blond hair, was so likeable and familiar it made Thalia realize who she reminded her of: Annabeth Chase.

The same bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed look had sparkled in the little seven-year-old's eyes as soon as she realized she had found a family with Thalia and Luke. That glimmer had remained, even through fighting monsters, running from gods, being terrorized. It was one of the things that made her a little sister to Thalia.

Seeing Davina act almost exactly the same opened a sore wound in Thalia's heart, a wound she'd sewn up and buried deep. Homesickness. Thalia had to remind herself she had a home, with Artemis, before she answered, "I'm a Hunter. I'm immortal."

Davina's blue eyes grew into saucers. "Immortal?" she repeated. "Like a goddess? You're a goddess?"

"Davina!" someone hissed behind me. "Get over here _now!_"

The little girl looked from her siblings to Thalia, torn, but she finally bent to the others' will. She gave Thalia a sad look, then sauntered to the other side of the room, where she immediately got scolded by several people at the same time.

"She's sweet, just naïve," a voice said. The scolding in the room stopped.

Thalia glanced up to see Rowena Reynolds sitting in the windowsill, her sharp blue eyes daring the children of Jupiter to make a move.

"Well, well, well," a girl sneered. "Look who came crawling back."

"Stick a sock in it, Leah," Rowena said calmly. "You don't have the guts to ditch this hellhole, let alone pick a fight with me."

Leah's eyes flashed dangerously. She pulled a sword from her back and lunged, but one of the boys held her back, murmuring something in Latin.

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Jumpy, are we?"

The Hunter scowled. "I may be Roman, but I don't trust them." She spared a quick, strained smile at Thalia, then went to another bunk on the opposite side.

"You don't trust anyone," Thalia muttered. "And neither do I."

* * *

Her eyes snapped open.

She was a light sleeper—a huntress had to be. Living in the woods, you either started at the slightest noise, or you got trampled by a deer. She knew that well.

It hadn't been easy to fall to Hypnos's clutches, knowing every pair of eyes in the barrack was watching her suspiciously. It'd been even harder to keep her own eyes shut, not to glare back, not to snap at them, like she really wanted to.

She was almost glad she was woken. It was barely a thud, as if someone had accidentally knocked their foot against the wall. Her hand slid under her pillow, grabbing the knife that lay there.

She sat up without a sound, holding her knife tightly, but the room was quiet. The Jupiter children had all fallen asleep hours before, and were snoring loudly. The curtains around the ornate window billowed softly in the wind. She glanced at Rowena's bed—the lump beneath the sheets moved softly up and down.

Thalia slid onto the floor silently. The slabs were cold under her feet, chilled, like the rest of the barrack. For the first time, she stopped to look at it. It was pure Jupiter, made of glossy wood and a starry ceiling. It was nothing compared to Zeus's cabin back at Camp Half-Blood, but she knew Romans cared nothing about looks, mainly skill and purpose.

On a whim, she headed for Rowena's bed, intending to make sure the Roman girl was still soundly asleep, but there was no face from the blanket; not even a hint of her blond hair anywhere. Thalia yanked the blanket back—revealing nothing. Just a few pillows stuffed into the shape of a person.

The daughter of Zeus had to smile at the other's skill. She was good.

She decided she couldn't waste any more time; she redid her black braid, slid her quiver over her back, and picked up her bow. She cast a quick look over the room one more time, then silently hopped out the window.

She breathed the night air contentedly. The crisp scent of trees heightened her senses as she crept toward the forest line, so every detail of the Roman woods stood out to her. She missed the feeling of hunting, the sense of openness, freedom, no one watching. She loved the rough bark of trees under her fingertips, the sound of birds chirping softly, the rich earth clinging to her boots. Hunting was her passion.

As soon as she was deep in enough, she dropped to one knee to study the mud. The tracks clearly stated griffin, a Roman monster that was particular trouble. Thalia needed to kill something Roman right then.

Griffins were easy to tail; they were large and heavy, often bumbling. This one left broken branches and deep prints wherever it went.

A crack somewhere to her left had Thalia instinctively pressing her back to the nearest tree, pulling a long silver arrow from her quiver. Only when she had it notched did she realize she knew that pattern of steps. She sighed, smiling knowingly to herself.

"I didn't take you for a rebel," she said over her shoulder.

The other huntress had a smirk playing on her lips when Thalia stepped into view. "Great minds think alike," she agreed.

Thalia shouldered her bow. "You're good. If you hadn't stepped wrong, I never would've known you were following me."

Rowena tilted her head. "Not following…observing. Just curious about Greek hunting style."

"I didn't know Romans got curious," Thalia quipped.

"They don't," she replied grimly. "Staying with Diana opens your mind, no matter what you are."

Thalia couldn't help but agree. Suddenly, on a whim, she held out her hand. Rowena simply looked at it, and Thalia could see the thinking behind her blue eyes. _Why is she trying to shake my hand? Is she trying to be my friend so she can kill me later? What's her angle?_ But finally, she took her hand.

For that night, the girls made a silent truce; hunting was not a battle to be fought. No grounds to argue, no means to hate each other by. They could hunt in peace, with each other, without needing to shoot glares or be suspicious. Well, not as suspicious as during the day, at least.

Thalia studied Rowena's moves as she darted through the emerald trees, shooting silver arrows at anything that breathed. Her style was reckless, impulsive. She didn't care about taking the time to make sure nothing heard her, nothing sensed her presence, because as soon as it did, it would feel the bite of her arrows.

Thalia knew Rowena was watching her too, observing how Thalia crouched in the dark, tested the soil on her tongue briefly, predicted the direction of the griffin's trail. She knew the Roman girl was intrigued—and she realized that Rowena was truly curious.

The griffin hardly put up a fight to them. Two perfect shots and it was over. The animal dropped, the arrows protruding gruesomely from its eyes. They left it for the other monsters, searching instead for a more challenging prey.

Hellhounds moved in packs, and were easy enough to track. Rowena was the one who pointed out the false trail one of them had led, and followed the right one. There they found the pack fighting over a buck. Barely a glance went between them before they killed each one.

Thalia stiffened as she sensed the moon fading. The sun would be rising soon. She shared a look with Rowena, guessing the Roman huntress felt the change as well. The two of them wordlessly followed their own prints back to Barrack One, climbing through the same window they'd both left through.

* * *

When the Romans "woke" her for breakfast, Thalia couldn't help but snort. They got into a _single file line_, without even a word, a perfect formation as they marched like soldiers to the dining hall—a room dotted with rotting tables hardly sturdy enough to hold them.

She wrinkled her nose at the Roman food, picking an apple instead. Ugh, even that tasted strange. She kept her face smooth as the Jupiter children stuffed their own faces, exchanging but a few conversations on weapons and classes.

"We're going with the First Legion, right?" Rowena asked hopefully, as if she'd heard Lupa wrong.

"Yeah," Thalia replied darkly.

"What's that?"

Thalia felt nothing but relief as she turned to see Nathan Grace sitting beside her, looking exhausted with bumps and scrapes all over him. She didn't bombard him with questions or hugs, like she (surprisingly) wanted to, but said, "The team of consuls here at Camp Rome. They basically run camp."

"Under _her_," Rowena muttered.

"Speak of the devil," Thalia nudged her.

Sure enough, Autumn Campbell appeared beside them, even more perky and cheery than the day before, if possible. That made Thalia, if possible, even more guarded. There was nothing more dangerous than a Venus girl acting nice.

"Hi!" she cried. "Are we ready for an exciting day at _Castra Roma_?"

"Sure, Campbell," Tom, the consul for Barrack One, said, standing. "I got three extras with me today."

Autumn's suddenly cold, pale green eyes swept over Thalia, Rowena, and Nathan, and for a second her face was thrown into menacing shadow. "Yes," she replied. "Lupa said something about that." She flipped her glossy brown hair over her shoulder. "Well then. We'll start at the arena today, huh?"

Thanks to Rowena, Thalia quickly learned the names of each Roman consul. Tom Eyre, son of Jupiter, Jack Salt, son of Neptune, Julius Monroe, son of Pluto, Mae Pomona, daughter of Ceres, Noah Lopez, son of Mars, Alida Guiles, daughter of Minerva, Dominic Cast, son of Mercury, and Summer Harmon, daughter of Apollo.

All of them gave the three demigods either glares, or curious looks, neither of which made Thalia feel any more comfortable.

The arena was similar to the Coliseum, which Thalia had only seen in pictures. Demigods dotted the grounds, sparring and training in such a Roman way that Thalia rolled her eyes.

Autumn spun on her heel, turning to face them with a huge smile on her lips. "Let's start, shall we? Tom, take Mae. Alida, go with Noah. Julius, you're with me. Summer, take Nathan. Dominic, Reynolds. And…Jack, you're with Grace."

As the rest of the Romans gathered into their pairs, the son of Neptune stayed where he was, studying Thalia with a strange sense the others didn't seem to give off; not analyzing, not looking for potential weaknesses, just…looking. He flipped something in the air—a bottle cap, Thalia realized. But when it landed in his hand, it definitely wasn't one anymore.

"How's my brother?" he asked, twirling the imperial gold trident calmly.

Thalia tapped Aegis, smirking at his expression as it spiraled into its horrible glory. "Married. How're my annoying siblings?"

"Annoying-er." He hefted the trident, as if testing its weight. "Shall we?"

In response Thalia charged him. He caught her spear between the prongs of his trident, still grinning cockily, preparing to snap it, but she shocked him hard, kneed him in the stomach, and slammed him in the face with her shield.

"Is that how Romans fight?" she teased.

He wiped his bloody nose with his sleeve, somehow still smiling. "No, _this_ is how Romans fight." He ran at her like an angry bull, leveling the trident to impale her through and through. Thalia had to give the kid credit as she pushed it aside and did a running backflip off his chest; he definitely knew how to fight, Thalia was just older, and way more experienced.

She watched indifferently as he panted with his hands on his knees. "Can I ask you a question?" he said, spitting a few drops of blood into the dirt. Swinging her spear idly, she shrugged in response. He straightened, though the action obviously pained him. "Do Greeks really hate Romans as much as you say you do?"

She allowed a small part of her brain to ponder the inquiry (while the rest was still trained intently on him). "No," she said finally. "Only because you hated us first." The words were hardly out of her mouth before he ran at her. He feinted left, jabbed her right, but as soon as he went for her throat, he got a whopping forehead-full of her head.

She blinked twice while he dropped, feeling pleased with herself, despite the slight daze she gave herself. She hadn't gotten to head-bash anyone in a while. She silently thanked Phoebe for teaching her that move without fracturing her forehead.

Looking up, she realized the others had paused in their fighting, watching her spar with a mix of suspicious/curious expressions. She knew far too well they were trying to judge and analyze her battle style, so, just in case, they would know exactly how to take her down.

That didn't mean she didn't have her guard up too. She'd been keeping an eye on all of them, because every Greek should know even the tiniest, weakest-looking Roman could probably crush your windpipe and chop off your hand in one move. And if anyone knew that then, it was Thalia.

"Am I done?" she said to Autumn crisply.

The daughter of Venus blinked, still in mid-battle stance. She looked up at Thalia with a slight new interest—similar to a cat eyeing a mouse. "Sure," she replied finally, her narrowed green slits following Thalia's every move.

Thalia wasn't sure, but she swore that as she passed the Roman girl, she sensed something under the false perky façade and bright smile; something dark, dangerous, and highly lethal.

She was of more interest than Thalia had originally thought.

Sitting reluctantly on the large steps of the arena, Thalia watched Nathan Grace spar. It was obvious that he was a son of Jupiter, even from where she sat. He fought like one—an un-trained, scared one at that. All instinct, wild moves and strikes, hardly a thought aside from the adrenaline and ADHD influence.

She frowned. She still was unsure whether he would be able to survive Camp Rome. Even a hint of weakness would get his throat slit by whichever Roman got to him first. If Lupa decided to kill him right away.

She wasn't exactly certain why she was actually there, at Camp Rome, anyway. Or what she was going to do once she got out. Go to Camp Half-Blood? Her friends would be gone. Annabeth and Percy had their own lives. So did Nico, and whatever new fling he had on him. Grover would be there, at least, along with Chiron, who had always been the father she'd never known.

Percy and Annabeth's son Alastor, he was another story. Thalia didn't like the idea of Percy's son helping Jason's save the world. Both of them were brave/stupid (Thalia liked to go with the latter), and completely hopeless to trust with salvation.

Running footsteps and shouts in Latin pulled Thalia from her dark thoughts. A girl of no more than fourteen darted directly to Autumn Campbell and yanked the First Legion's praetor from her training, much to the Venus girl's dismay.

She began snapping at the other girl almost immediately, but a sharp Latin phrase had her staring in surprise, her mouth agape, eyes wide.

"WHAT?" she demanded, so loudly that everyone froze.

The girl repeated her words. Ignoring Autumn's stunned expression, she turned around—and looked up pointedly at Thalia.

"Are you Thalia Grace?" she called.

Thalia stood. "What do you want?"

The girl was running towards her three steps at a time seconds later, breathlessly tugging Thalia out of the arena, nearly tripping over her own feet as she did so. Thalia was instantly annoyed.

"Hey," she protested, yanking her arm back. "Who do you think you are?"

The girl gained a deadly serious look on her face as she looked Thalia in the eye.

"My name is Monique Keenan," the girl said very fast. "I'm the Sybil."

* * *

**FYI, a Sybil is a Roman oracle (I'm 99.9% sure of that). Why would the super-long-named Sybil want to talk to Thalia? Hm, I wonder...**

**~ Mia ~**


	5. Futures

**Hey, sorry for not updating, I don't know if you've read my other A/N in Voyage of the Argonauts, but FF is acting stupid, so . here's ur chapter now!**

**Oh yeah, heads up: You might want to go back to chapter 2. I changed a few things... One scene, a gender, and two names.**

* * *

**5/Futures**

Thalia groaned as soon as the words were out of the girl's mouth.

All her life she'd been the victim of a merciless prophecy that wasn't even about her. Always running, never looking back, never knowing what was going to pop out of a trashcan next. Always looking out for Luke and Annabeth and Grover, making sure that they would survive. But in the end, she was the one who didn't survive.

Instead she was a tree for seven years.

And when she was revived, she had to go help Percy Jackson save the world.

After that was all over, she'd tried to stay out of the way of the new, danger-prone demigods at camp. Then she started to avoid camp altogether, until she didn't go at all.

And if this girl had nothing to do with the prophecies she hated so much, she wouldn't have stuck around to hear the words spewing from her mouth. But the trouble was, Oracles weren't something she could ever ignore.

"Good for you," she said coldly. "What do you want?"

The younger girl seemed a little taken aback at the ice coating the Hunter's voice, but spoke calmly nonetheless. "There's a new prophecy, Thalia."

"I'm getting that feeling, yeah," she agreed, still distant.

"You're in it."

"Gee, I'm so surprised." Sarcasm colored her tone.

A frown rippled across the Sybil's face. "There's no need to be rude, daughter of Zeus. I'm only the messenger."

"That's what they all say," Thalia muttered, but if Monique Keenan heard, she didn't show it.

"Nathan Grace isn't just an ordinary demigod," she said, clasping her hands behind her back.

"I know that," Thalia replied. "Diana spoke to me."

Monique looked at her, surprise evident in her eyes. "Diana?" she repeated. "You're sure?"

The Hunter's voice was, again, cold, when she shot back, "I know my mistress."

"I'm aware," Monique answered calmly. "What did she tell you?"

"Why do you need to know? It was my dream, not yours," Thalia couldn't help being snippy. She was already in a bad mood from the day's "sparring" and, considering her current whereabouts, she really didn't need to deal with a prophetess right then. But she knew Monique wouldn't go away until she got what she wanted. On a deep, tucked-away level, she respected that.

"You're on a need-to-know basis," the girl announced, as if it was the most important information in the world. "I can't tell you their plans. I don't know if you've noticed, but Roman gods aren't exactly forgiving."

"Oh, believe me, I've noticed," Thalia murmured under her breath. She raised her voice. "Fine," she told Monique. And, reluctantly (and because she knew she'd never lose the annoying girl if she didn't), she told the Sybil everything Diana had said.

Well, _almost_ everything.

Monique seemed pleased when she was finished. "Good. I see the maiden goddess has loosened up since I've seen her."

She ignored Thalia's eye-roll and went on to say, "Nathan Grace is a hybrid. A new kind of demigod, you could say. Half Roman, half Greek. He's the worst thing that could ever happen to both Camp Rome and Camp Half-Blood, but he's also the best. Or, he will be, eventually."

"Another prophecy child," Thalia concluded, making a sour face. "Great."

"Be nice," Monique instructed. "He's your nephew. He could be worse."

Thalia had to agree. "Fine. What does this have to do with me?"

Monique laughed. "Do with you? Are you kidding? You're Thalia Grace. The son of Jupiter's infamous, brave-hearted Greek sister, known for more than just being a tree. You're the only one who can help Dii and Olympus."

Thalia stepped closer, suddenly menacing. "What do you know about Dii and Olympus?"

Monique gave a smile that made Thalia's blood heat. "Like I said, Thalia: I can't give away their plans." But the Sybil obviously saw the other girl's temper rising, so she added, "But, if you must know, they can't be opened separately. And they definitely _won't_ open without Nathan Grace."

With another flash of a smile, she began to walk away. Thalia stared after her, stunned for a split second, then took a few bounding steps in her direction. "Wait! What is that supposed to mean?"

The infuriating smirk dancing in Monique Keenan's green eyes only appeared for a second before her voice followed suit in one of the most annoying, cliché words Thalia had ever heard:

"You'll just have to figure it out, Thalia Grace. The gods have a plan for you."

In the blink of an eye, she was gone. Thalia growled. "Geez Apollo," she moaned. "You and your stupid prophecies."

"Talking to yourself?"

Thalia spun around. "Elena? What are you doing away from the arena?"

Leo Valdez's daughter flipped her curls out of her eyes. "This place sucks," she sniffed. "I'm not staying near those Romans."

Thalia felt her face curl into a sneer. "You're just like them," she said. "You haven't even known you were a demigod for more than a few hours and you're already picking sides."

Elena looked genuinely surprised. "Haven't you already picked yours?" she questioned.

Thalia frowned. "I'm not jumping on that sinking ship just yet," she said. "Now, go back to the Romans, before I drag you back there."

"Mono," Elena said, not moving an inch. "That's what they call her. Romans don't know how to whisper, you know that?"

"Mono?" Thalia's interest was momentarily caught.

"'Cause she's just like a disease, they say," Elena confirmed. "They don't like her here at all."

"No one likes prophets," Thalia muttered. "All they do is predict your death."

"Everyone listens to them, though," the girl said wisely, turning on her heel towards the arena. "If you don't, the prophecies always come true, one way or another."

Autumn Campbell swooped down on her like a vulture as soon as she set foot in the arena.

"What did Mono want?" she demanded.

"None of your business," Thalia shot back, before she could stop herself. "Go stare in a mirror, will you?"

Autumn seemed to swell. "Do not speak to me like that," she hissed through her teeth. "I am praetor of this camp—"

"I don't care what position you're in," Thalia cut in. "You Romans are all alike; high and mighty. Get off your high horse. We're all just pawns in this game."

Autumn was seething when a quiet voice stepped in. "Autumn, Lupa doesn't like you getting into fights." The girl that spoke looked all kinds of innocent, with wide gray eyes, a halo of blonde curls, and a face that was younger than the other two by at least three or four years.

She was more than a head shorter than the proud daughter of Venus, but even so, Autumn backed down, muttering what were obviously curses in Latin as she stalked away.

"You shouldn't pick fights," the girl said, drawing Thalia's dagger eyes away from Autumn's back. "Fights never end well here."

"I bet they don't," Thalia said after a moment.

"She'll be distracted for a while," the girl commented, her eyes darting to Autumn for a minute, yelling at a young boy for notching an arrow wrong. "I'll give you some advice, Thalia: don't provoke Autumn. She might seem like she's shallow, but she'd rather use her nails on you than cry over a broken one. I get that you're proud—maybe as proud as you say we are, but don't let that cloud your head. If you trip, you won't get up."

"You have a big brain for such a little person," Thalia observed. "What's your name?"

She pursed her lips for a moment before answering, sarcasm laced into her voice, "Alida. One of the few level-headed Romans here." She spoke again before Thalia could: "You don't think very highly of us." It wasn't a question.

"No," Thalia said bluntly. "I don't."

"Why?" Alida didn't appear very interested in Thalia's answer, only watched as the Greek Hunter blinked in surprise.

Thalia had never been asked why she hated Romans before. Everyone had simply known—or that's what she had assumed. But looking into Alida's expectant face, she almost didn't know what to say.

"Because you hate us," she replied finally.

The expression that crossed Alida's face was only slightly compelling. "Interesting," was all she said before another voice interrupted.

"Um, Thalia?"

Alida barely spared Nathan Grace gray-eyed glance. "I'll leave you two," she stated. And with a swish of her blonde hair, she walked away.

"You don't look very happy," Nathan said.

Thalia's attention fell on him immediately at the masked fear in his voice. "No, I'm not," she said. She sighed. "It looks like I can't leave just yet."

A smile lit up her nephew's face. "Really?" he asked, excited. "That's good…right?"

She glanced at his innocent face. He had no idea what was going to happen to him. No idea what he was. She could scarcely remember a time when she was like him, ignorant of her dark future. She imagined it was better than what she was going through now. She quickly decided to let him enjoy that for a little while longer.

"Yeah, Nathan. That's good."

"What do you mean, there's a new prophecy?" Amy demanded. A chorus of mutters rose from the rest of the Hunters in agreement; over fifteen pairs of eyes beseeched her to answer.

"I mean," she said stiffly, "that there's a new prophecy."

"What do we care?" Marissa piped up. "It was told by their Oracle! Not ours!"

"Thalia, let's just go!" Valerie begged. "We all hate it here!"

"Why can't we just leave?" Lois exclaimed.

"STOP!" Thalia shouted. Her Hunters quieted. Her electric blue eyes flicked from one Hunter to the next, causing each one to shrink, just a bit. "Prophecies aren't to be ignored. We should know that. I will talk to Lupa and see if she'll let us leave without eating us." Turning on her heel, she glanced at them over her shoulder. "If I don't come back, you pack up camp…and come rescue me. It's hot here, I don't want to get left behind." And with that she walked towards Lupa's cave.

"That old wolf's crafty, Thals," Phoebe said, hurrying to catch up with her. "She'll try to trick you."

Thalia stopped walking to face her friend. "I don't want to risk staying here any longer, Pheebs. This new prophecy… I haven't heard it yet, but I don't want to be here when I do. I'd rather hear it from Chiron, and I'm taking the Hunters to New York with or without Lupa's permission."

"Besides," she called back as she began to walk again, "my nephew is a kid. Jason would kill me if the Romans did anything to him."


	6. Escapes

**Yay! Look what I have! Gasp, it's a six-page chapter for you! Hooray!**

**Okay okay, calming down. Alright, I am proud to announce that I have gotten past my writers' block for the moment and even came up with a Great Prophecy, so yay me! I'm also happy to say that after I post this chapter I'm going to work on chapter 7, soo yay you! (I'm sorry I'm kinda hyper, even though its like 7 am over here.)**

**Disclaimer (did I do this ever?): I do not own PJO, though I would probably sell my...soul? Sure let's go with that. I don't own it, but I'd sell my soul for it. Okay byesies!**

* * *

**6/Escaping**

She didn't like the way the woods seemed to close around her when she took her first few steps beyond her Hunters' vision.

On one hand, she was furious with herself for heading for Muir Woods in the first place; she really didn't need any more trouble in her life. (Yes, she realized that running around hunting mythical monsters with a wilderness goddess dressed in silver isn't technically classified as "normal," but still.)

But on the other hand, she knew that as Zeus's daughter, crazy adventures and "keys to salvation" such as her brother's son were her responsibility. And as much as she wanted to walk away from it all at that second, she couldn't leave saving the world to Nathan Grace.

Bringing herself out of those thoughts, she wondered bitterly if she'd have to make a fast escape from the Wolf House. She knew all too well Lupa wouldn't let Thalia leave camp alive.

And then she realized what a mistake she'd made. Traveling to Camp Rome ensured Nathan Grace, her Hunters, and herself as Roman hostages. She'd always known the Treaty of San Francisco-New York would never solve any bad blood between Greeks and Romans. They hated each other just as much, if not more, after the treaty was made as before.

"She'll never let you leave." Autumn Campbell voiced her very thoughts from behind her.

"Do you always just appear?" Thalia asked, annoyed. "Go back to your mirrors."

Autumn scowled at her. "Lupa doesn't want Greeks telling stories that they escaped _Castra Roma_. She has a reputation to uphold."

Thalia took a sudden step towards the girl. "Look Autumn, I get that you're all about upholding your Roman status, but I'm a Greek, I've got nothing to do with you and vice versa. Beat it, okay?"

And Thalia ran into the trees, leaving Venus's daughter alone in the woods with her poisonous quips unsaid.

The familiar green-brown blur of trees flashing by Thalia's eyes calms her as she makes her way to the dreaded Wolf House, bow in hand and arrows sharpened.

It seemed too easy to walk through the doorway as she'd seen Autumn do once before. She could sense the dangerous wolves prowling the house around her, ever-suspicious.

"Lupa!" she growled, barging into the seemingly empty room.

With a hiss, Lupa's massive head whooshed in front of her face. _You dare intrude without my permission?_

"Don't worry," Thalia sneered, "I'm not staying. In fact, I'm leaving today, whether you want me to or not. Just thought I'd let you know." Still clutching her bow, she whirled for the door, but Lupa darted to block her path before she can flee.

_No one leaves without my blessing,_ she snarled. _You, Thalia Grace, do not command me. You do not command my camp. _My_ camp._

"Doesn't matter whose camp it is," Thalia snapped. "You can't stop me."

Lupa's muscles tensed as if to spring, the dark skin of her muzzle receding to bare razor-sharp teeth. Thalia suddenly came to a realization she'd downplayed; Lupa would not hesitate to kill her, no matter whose daughter she was.

Faster than she would ever think possible, she yanked a knife from her boot and plunged it into Lupa's flank. She hardly waited for a shriek of pain before she sprinted out the door, running as fast as she could through the forest and towards the main gates, where she was surprised to find only Phoebe waiting.

"What happened to the girls?" she called.

Phoebe pointed wordlessly to the open gates, where a group of demigod guards lay wounded. "Fast escape?" she asked, grabbing Thalia's arm to steady her.

It only took one fleeting glance back for Thalia to realize Lupa's minion wolves were not far behind. "No time!" she said hurriedly to Phoebe. "Go! Go!"

And letting a few arrows fly, the two Hunters made it safely outside the gates.

Thalia followed Phoebe as they blindly dashed through the forest, getting whipped by branches and tripped by bushes. Neither spoke a word, for fear of alerting the predators they both knew were tracking them. So they traveled in silence.

When Phoebe finally skidded to a stop, Thalia was out of breath. "Where—are—we?" she panted, hands on her knees.

"Just outside the Bay Area," Phoebe managed. "Lupa's wolves can't pass the barrier, I think."

"Right," Thalia wheezed.

"Phoebe? Thalia?" a small voice asked timidly. Blue-eyed Amy stepped from the bushes tentatively, bow notched.

"Yeah, it's us," Thalia assured her.

More Hunters flocked from the green foliage, curious but wary eyes sweeping the small area. Every bow was out, ready for fire. All the girls seemed relieved at their leaders' safe return.

"What about Lupa?" Chloe asked.

"Angry, but I don't think she'll come after us," Thalia said confidently. "Autumn's too stupid to leave in charge." There was a pause as each Hunter donned a small smile, glancing at each other.

"What now?" Elena Valdez's voice broke the silence, causing everyone to look at her irritated face.

"Now," Thalia said grimly, "I think it's time we visit Chiron."

* * *

Traveling cross-country wasn't on Thalia's list of favorite things. A group of thirty or so girls dressed in silver on a bus? Not so easy to make up a story for.

However, mere hours later, that was exactly what Thalia found herself doing. It was Phoebe's idea to use a choir-girls cover; they wore matching uniforms already anyway. The Greyhound bus wasn't exactly ideal, but Thalia had to admit it was doing better than she'd originally thought it would. Most of the girls seemed content, no matter how disgusting it was.

"You think the kid going to be okay?" Phoebe asked suddenly from beside her.

Thalia looked at her. "He's a Grace," she said simply. "He'll be fine." But it sounded like she was more convincing herself than she was Phoebe. An epiphany suddenly hit her. She reached into her pocket—and sure enough, there it was. The small, pink compact mirror that she'd forgotten to give to Nathan.

"Thalia, what's that?" Vanessa had spied the compact from over the lieutenant's shoulder and was now staring at it curiously.

"Magical item," Thalia responded finally. Slowly, cautiously, she flipped it open. "Nathan Grace."

Vanessa's little gasp of surprise and Phoebe's lean-in of interest was proof that what Thalia was seeing wasn't just a trick of her brain.

Indeed, the small mirror of Piper's compact was swirling with silver mist, and the next thing Thalia knew, she was looking at her nephew's face.

"Lower!" Autumn's irritating, sneering voice could be heard faintly from the compact. "No, hold your sword lower!" A frustrated grunt later and a manicured hand pushed Nathan to the floor, seizing his sword. "Pathetic," she jeered. "Like this." A crunch of armor made Nathan wince, followed by a thud that didn't help much either.

Autumn's blonde hair suddenly obscured the compact as she leaned down to smirk in Nathan's face. "Never." She poked a finger in his chest. "Hesitate." Disappearing from sight, she could be heard saying, "Anyone else want to fight the infamous son of Jason Grace?"

Bawdy laughter brought a hurt look to Nathan's eyes, but he brushed off his clothes, grabbed his practice sword, and stood. "I wish Thalia was here," he muttered under his breath.

Thalia snapped the compact closed loudly, but it was too late; her heart was already dropping. She should've known Autumn would get revenge on her somehow, she just never she would use _him_.

"Thalia?" Phoebe called her back to earth. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she said after a moment. "Yeah I'm good." Reassured, Vanessa settled back into her seat with Chloe. Phoebe wasn't so easily fooled; she studied Thalia with narrowed eyes, but Thalia didn't care.

She stared out the window aimlessly, wishing she could just go home.

* * *

By some miracle—though Thalia suspected it wasn't a miracle at all—the next time she opened her eyes, the bus was passing the Empire State Building.

The sight cleared her mind of sleep; she pressed her nose to the glass like a schoolgirl, gaping with her mouth open. "Phoebe," she managed, floundering for Phoebe's arm, jolting her awake.

"What happened?" Phoebe's voice, unsurprisingly, wasn't coated in sleep. A Hunter's senses never rest. She leaned forward. "Are we—are we in New York?" Disbelief was etched across her face.

Behind them, Chloe stifled a yawn. "Is that even possible?"

Amy stretched from the seat beside them, accidentally hitting Valerie in the face. She twisted in her seat. "Why is everyone asleep?" she asked, her voice stirring the girls awake.

"Thalia, what's going on?" Phoebe demanded in a low voice.

Thalia herself was deep in thought. "I don't know," she said finally. They all lurched forward as the bus screeched to a sudden halt.

"Your stop," the bus driver called in a gravelly voice. Slightly dazed, the Hunters rose from their seats and filed down the aisle, un-boarding the bus in an orderly fashion.

It was only after the last girl stepped off that Thalia finally noticed the driver's mischievous blue eyes. He flashed her a painfully familiar grin from under his baseball cap. "You're welcome, Thalia." The door whooshed closed before Thalia could react, vanishing down the street.

"What was _that?_" Elena Valdez wondered.

"Hermes," Thalia replied. Her voice came out more indifferently than she'd intended.

"Hermes?" Phoebe echoed, cocking an eyebrow. "Why would he help us?"

Thalia stared after the long-gone bus, thinking of the mysterious driver. She could just picture Hermes now, wherever he was, twirling he snake-twined staff and grinning devilishly down at her.

"I don't know," she said finally. But she had a feeling that she was going to sooner or later.

Looking around, she realized they were standing in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. "We're in Long Island," she said finally.

"Near Montauk," Alexa agreed. "It's less than a mile to camp."

Elena sighed loudly. "_More_ walking?"

Thalia forced herself to put a smile on her face. "Yes," she said sweetly. "I'll take the front. Pheebs, bring up the rear."

No one gave them strange looks. Thirty girls in matching silver outfits trooping down Old Montauk Highway wasn't weird at all, not in New York, and that's what Thalia loved about it most.

Forty steps into their trek and Elena began her complain campaign. About how dark the sky was, how much her feet hurt, the state of the street, the hobos, her voice droned on and on and made the time pass like molasses.

Finally there was a thud, then a squeal, and Elena shut up. Thalia smiled.

"Thalia?" Carmen called her name timidly, quickening her steps to walk besides the lieutenant.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Chiron will be happy to see us?"

There was a pause. Thalia realized that Carmen's question had voiced the Hunters' thoughts. Even now she could sense their eagerness to hear their leader's opinion. That thought worried her too.

"Yeah," she decided after a moment. "Chiron's always glad to see us. Besides, we're bringing him a new kid."

Carmen relaxed visibly. There was a collective sigh.

Thalia kept walking, head held high, but she wasn't so sure _what_ Chiron would say. Hunters and campers never got along well, not when Zoë Nightshade was lieutenant, not when Thalia took her place. She wasn't sure they ever would. She was more scared of that than anything else.

She spotted Half-Blood Hill before any of the others. Hiking up the long emerald grass, her heart was suddenly pounding, hoping for once their arrival would be welcomed. But reaching the top, there was no one in sight.

Peleus, the dragon guarding the Golden Fleece, reared his head when the Hunters came into his golden gaze. Thalia held up her hands, approaching cautiously. One sniff later and Peleus was her best friend again, his eyes lighting up as he recognized her scent.

The monster had grown even longer than the great pine tree since the last time she saw him, which had been over ten years prior. He was his usual color, but darker, and obviously more aggressive, but at that moment he had all the anger of a puppy.

Thalia reached out a tentative hand for her beloved tree. As she neared it, a spark jumped from the bark to her hand, jolting her with the delicious energy she hadn't felt in so long.

"Hi Peleus," she cooed, scratching his scaly throat. "Did you miss me? Yes, you did. Look how big you are now! Who's my favorite dragon?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes towards the sky, but before she could say anything—

"_You!"_

The very angry word interrupted Thalia's reunion with Peleus. She looked up to find a sword quivering an inch from her nose, and a pair of furious eyes glaring into her own.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Troy Jackson's demand was infuriated and dangerously nervous, as was the tip of the sword in Thalia's face.

Phoebe's own sword threatened the skin of Troy's throat, along with countless arrows of the other Hunters.

"Back. Away," Phoebe commanded in a low voice. "You threaten the lieutenant, you threaten us."

Troy scowled, but dropped the sword and held up his hands. "Who are you? And don't tell me you're my mother's sister 'cause I know you're not!"

Phoebe glanced sideways at Thalia. "You know this kid?"

Thalia stood, brushing dirt off her pants. "Yeah. This is Troy, Percy and Annabeth's kid."

"Troy! TROY! What are you doing, you idiot!" a voice shouted. Two campers barged up the hill, out of breath. The first, a boy, pointed a finger at Phoebe.

"Hands—off—the kid," he panted.

"I'm not a kid!" Troy protested.

The second camper, a girl with dirty brown hair, was the first to catch her breath. Eyes narrowed, she gave Thalia a slight bobbing bow, though her expression was anything but wondrous. She slapped the back of Troy's head hard. "You idiot!" she snapped. "You don't run off to attack random people, Jackson!"

"You're Hunters, aren't you?" the boy asked, gesturing to Thalia's garb.

"I'm Thalia," she said. "Lieutenant of Artemis."

The girl and the boy exchanged stricken looks. "Seriously?" the boy said. "What are you doing here?"

"We haven't seen you in years," the girl added.

"We haven't seen you ever," Thalia told her.

"Whatever," she said haughtily, in a strangely familiar tone.

The sound of galloping hooves had Thalia's head snapping up in delight. Sure enough, Chiron himself was trotting towards them, holding a bow in one hand.

"Thalia, my dear," he said warmly upon seeing the daughter of Zeus. He gave the three children a hard look. "Have they been causing trouble?"

"No," Thalia answered.

Chiron's pursed lips proved his disbelief. "Very well. Marissa, Aaron, take Troy to join my class. We'll see how he handles a bow." Marissa, the girl, and Aaron, the boy, nodded and dragged Troy away.

Chiron tilted his head, indicating for Thalia to walk beside him. She obeyed gladly, signaling her Hunters to linger behind. Phoebe's commands to set up in Cabin Eight followed after her.

"What brings you here, my child?" Chiron questioned. "It's been too long since the Hunters had paid us a visit."

"You know about the gods," Thalia said bluntly, a hint of a question in her voice.

Chiron's face lapsed into momentary shadow. "Yes. Mr. D has, unfortunately, been recalled to Olympus. He has not returned."

"Hooray," Thalia responded dryly.

"This is no laughing matter, Thalia," Chiron said gravely. "If the gods are absent, there is no telling what's happening behind the doors of Olympus."

"I talked to Diana," Thalia informed him. "Or, she talked to me."

"Savannah! Stanley! Get back to your classes!" Chiron called to two teenagers sitting on a bench, who peeled apart from each other and glared. "And?" he prompted Thalia.

"She said Jason's kid is the 'key to everything.'"

"I've never met the boy," Chiron mused. "I imagine he takes after his father."

"He does," Thalia agreed. "He's very moral, like Piper."

"Mhm." Chiron was lost in thought. "Where have you been all these years, Thalia? Camp has missed you."

"I bet," Thalia snorted.

Chiron's piercing eyes shut her up fast. "Percy, Annabeth, and Nico were quite miserable without you."

"I was running errands for Artemis," Thalia said. "I got a message from her a few days ago: get to San Francisco fast."

"Thalia," Chiron said, astonished. "You didn't—"

"I obeyed my orders," she interrupted firmly. By then, she and Chiron had reached the doorstep to the Big House, and when they entered, it was silent. "I found the Hunters of Diana there, waiting for us," she couldn't help but sound accusing. "You knew about them, didn't you?" The centaur's silence said it all. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You know the secrets of the Romans aren't mine to give," Chiron warned. "You must tread lightly, Thalia. This situation is delicate."

"There's a new prophecy," Thalia abruptly said, changing the subject. "I heard it from the Roman prophetess—some girl named Monique."

"She sends her regards," a voice called from the stairs.

The two turned to find a girl who looked very much like Rachel Elizabeth Dare at the foot of the steps.

"Eliza," Chiron said calmly. "I wasn't aware you'd returned from Clarion Academy. Where is your mother?"

"Charity benefit," the girl, Eliza, replied. She pointed at Thalia. "You're Thalia Grace."

Thalia's eyebrows raised. "Yes."

"_Six shall depart from different worlds—"_ Eliza began, but Chiron cleared his throat, quickly cutting her off.

Thalia glared at him. "You already _know_ the prophecy?"

Chiron let his shoulders rise and fall, his tail swishing nervously. "Thalia, I have already explained. The secrets of the Romans—"

"Are ours too!" Thalia cut him off. "I have a right to know. If I'm in that prophecy, I want to know it."

"No," Chiron said firmly. "With Mr. D absent from his post, it's left to me to keep you children safe. How can I do that if you hear the prophecy and decide to complete it on your own?"

"Since when will I do that?" she challenged.

"The second you get the chance," he declared. "Thalia, it is forbidden that you hear the prophecy. Return to Cabin Eight immediately."

And with that command, the centaur trotted out the door, leaving Thalia fuming. "Ugh!" She kicked a chair.

Suddenly she felt as if she were a kid again, waiting to hear her fate. She hated that.

"It's alright," Eliza said softly. "You wouldn't want to hear it anyways."


End file.
